Family Reunion
by modernPonine
Summary: Set nearly 3 months after the destruction of the Star Forge, Revan sees a mysterious little girl in her dreams. In the midst, the romance between her and a certain "flyboy" continues.
1. Dreams

Just a quick little disclaimer before I get started…. Everything (except for my own characters) belongs to Bioware and Mr. George Lucas. This was thought up late at night after playing KOTOR and listening to a little too much Avril Lavigne/Evanescence/Hoobastank. To be fair, this is only the 2nd piece of fan fiction I've ever written so please be kind with any reviews/flames. (Pwease). : -D

Chapter 1

Revan:

_There she was again. _

_A child's face, identical to mine yet not me._

_Who was she? _

I woke with a start.

My older memories have slowly started to come forward these past few weeks. I knew this girl at some point in my life and seeing her made some part of me feel . . . well . . . lost. I may talk to Bastilla about it in the morning. Maybe she can explain it to me.

After fitfully trying to go back to sleep, I give up. Every time I close my eyes, I see that kid . . .. Maybe 11 or 12 . . .. Staring back at me.

I quickly get dressed and go to the bridge. _Might as well see something besides these walls._

The ship was quiet. The hum of the engines was almost calming. I stepped onto the bridge and stared out at the immense blackness in front of us.

"Trouble sleeping?"

I smiled. Just hearing Carth's voice did that to me now. I turned towards him. He stood, leaning against the doorway, watching me. As I turned back to watch the galaxy fly by, he came and stood beside me.

"Yeah . . . nothing big just a dream."

I non-chalantly waved my hand towards him. He grabbed it, surprising me. I slowly looked up into his eyes.

"Do you really think I'm going to buy that?" He grinned.

I weakly smiled, "I had kind of hoped it would."

I could lose myself in his eyes. I turned fully towards him. As I edged closer to Carth, a low laugh echoed over the bridge.

We both looked quickly at Canderous. I abruptly pulled away from Carth and turned my back towards them both.

After my face finally cooled down, and the laughter seemed to subside, I turned around.

"Canderous!!! How long have you been standing there? ! ?"

"Just long enough to see the show." I had to restrain myself from smacking the smirk off his face.

"Well, the show's over so you can leave." I could have laughed at the look Carth threw at Canderous as he spoke.

"Easy, Republic! I'm going! There's nothing interesting here now anyways . . . unless . . ."

"Get out!" I grabbed a data pad that was lying nearby and chunked it at him. It hit his chest and fell to the floor. I could feel my face burning again.

Canderous laughed, "Good throw" picked up the data pad and left.

After I was finally certain he was gone, I turned back to Carth.

"I better . . . " I rubbed the back of my neck, staring at the floor.

"Yeah . . . me too . . ." he looked at the floor.

"See you in the morning . . ." I quickly left.

Before heading to my quarters, I decided to see if Bastilla knew anything about the girl in my dream. I timidly knocked on the door. After a short silence, I decided that she must still be asleep. As I turned to leave, I was startled when the door opened.

"Revan. I heard Canderous laughing, what happened now?" She crossed her arms.

_Perhaps Canderous was right calling her a princess… _I had to hide the smirk that came across my face. "It was nothing, besides, that not what I'm here about."

Her face told me that she didn't believe a word of what I had said but that, thankfully, she would let it be for now.

"Is it about the dream? About the little girl?" She stepped aside, allowing me to come in before she closed the door again.

"Do you know who she is? Where I might know her from?" I leaned against the wall, arms crossed.

"No, but maybe the Council can help us when we get to Coruscant. I will send them a message in the morning and inform them of this."

"Alright, thanks." I walked past her to the door.

"Get some sleep Revan, you look terrible."

"Thanks." I sarcastically replied as I left. _Well, if nothing she's definitely honest . . . now._

I walked back to my quarters and dropped heavily on the bed.

As I drifted back into sleep, _her_ face appeared again.

_Who are you? Why do I feel so . . . lost when I see you?_


	2. Kahelle

Chapter 2

I woke up to Mission pounding on my door.

"Get up lazy! We're almost to Coruscant!"

I groaned and tried to move my stiff muscles. _How long was I asleep?_

"I'm coming . . . just give me a minute."

As her footsteps echoed down the hall, I was seriously contemplating going back to bed. The little girl had appeared to me again during my little nap, each time it seemed like she was pleading with me. So sleep hadn't exactly been a restful experience. _No, I need some answers. I better go. I hope that the Council can help me. _I quickly got dressed and headed to the bridge.

Bastilla stood watching, as Coruscant loomed closer and closer. Carth was busy with the controls. Since they were both occupied, I stood back, not quite ready to be seen yet.

Unfortunately, Bastilla noticed me.

"Good to see you're awake. I sent a message to the Council telling them about your vision. They have requested to see you, alone, as soon as we land."

"I don't like the sound of that." I stepped closer.

Carth glanced over his shoulder from the controls, "Considering what happened last time you were alone with them . . . "

If looks could kill, the one Bastilla gave Carth would have completely disintegrated him.

The com system buzzed and an authoritarian voice greeted us.

"Ebon Hawk, you are cleared to land. Welcome back."

Carth easily guided us into the special dock that the Council had prepared for us. As had become normal over the past few months, there were reporters everywhere. Everyone was waiting for a glimpse of the "Heroes of the Republic."

It always seemed that they made a beeline for Bastilla and I. The others were hounded as well, but Bastilla and I seemed to be of particular interest to them. Challe Tatrem and Bastilla Shan, the two Padawans who had killed the Sith Lords. The Council had thought it wise that Bastilla's fall as well as my identity be hidden from everyone except for the "higher authorities" and the other Jedi.

As annoying as it was to have to deal with these writers, it was a more welcome sight than having hundreds of vigilantes or mercs coming after us.

The questions began flying as soon as we exited the Hawk.

"Challe!! What was it like to face down Malak?"

"Why did the Council send a brand new Jedi to face down the Sith Lord?"

"What is your next adventure?"

I brushed by them while Bastilla stopped to try and direct their attention.

An aide from the Council met me right outside of the swarm and quickly led me away. I glanced back at Carth and the others as they watched me leave them. I quietly prayed to any deity that would hear me that this wouldn't be the time that I had to leave them behind, for good.

The busy-ness of the city faded out behind us as we came upon the Council chambers. The dark metallic tones of the city gave way to the soft, almost muted view of the chamber doors.

I took a deep breath and stepped inside, hearing the clink of the door behind me as the aide bowed and left.

The late morning sunlight streamed in through the windows of the Council Chamber.

One of the Council members motioned for me to come closer.

"Greetings, Padawan Revan. We understand you and Bastilla had another vision. This time of a child."

I stepped forward and bowed slightly. "Yes. She seemed to be about 12 and looked almost exactly like me except . . . "

"She had pale blue eyes . . ." Master Vandar finished my sentence with me. I looked down at the small Jedi Master, grateful to have at least one friendly face here among these stoic visages.

"Right . . . What can you tell me about her? Was she someone I met? Or some one that I…" I stopped, "someone that I killed." It was still hard for me to believe that I did so many horrible things. No, not me…the other Revan…

Master Vandar looked to the other council members before answering me. "No, you did not kill her. Her name was Kahelle. She was your sister."

I wanted to sigh in relief that this girl wasn't yet another innocent life that the old Revan had destroyed, "You mean, that I . . . I have a sister?"

"Yes . . . a twin specifically. You were both found to be strong in the Force at a very young age and brought to Dantooine the same year before the two of you would have turned 4 years of age. To find siblings with such an affinity to the Force is highly rare. Especially, with your sister's additional talents."

"Additional talents?" I asked, stretching my brain trying to force myself to remember her, to see her face…something other than as a child…but nothing appeared.

Master Vrook stood, and seemed to smile sadly as he spoke of my sister, "Kahelle was telepathic. It had just begun to manifest itself when we found the both of you on Derillia. If we hadn't have found her and been able to start training her when we did, she might have been driven to madness before she had turned 6 years old."

"Fortunately, your parents readily agreed to allow you and Kahelle to both start training immediately. However, their demands nearly made it impossible." An Aqualish Master broke in to Master Vrook's answer.

"That will be discussed at a later time, Master Mikiln." Master Vandar waved a hand to stop the Master from speaking any farther.

"So, where is she? Can I see her? There's so much to catch up on…" I glanced back towards the door, almost expecting a mirror image to come bursting through to greet me.

Master Vandar had great sadness in his voice when he finally spoke. "She disappeared when you were both 12. She had been gravely injured near the ruins where you found the first Star Map. Due to your parents 'demands', one of their own doctors had to be brought in. As soon as your parents learned how badly she had been hurt, although by that time she had fully recovered, they insisted on removing both of you from training. Even though you were only a few days from your final test to become full Padawans." I felt frozen to the spot, trying to remember my parents, Kahelle, what had happened.

"But I was allowed to stay?"

"Yes, in fact, it was Kahelle who begged them to allow you to continue your training and they agreed for her sake. They ignored her pleas to stay and still took her away. However, no one foresaw what would happen to their ship."

"What happened?" I resisted the urge to scream the question.

"As they were leaving the atmosphere of Dantooine, we heard an explosion followed by a blinding flash of light. When we were able to focus again, their ship was gone. Almost immediately, we could feel your parents' deaths but we could not feel Kahelle. However, it was believed that she too had been lost."

I couldn't move, couldn't think, "So you mean she's dead?"

"We are not certain as to her well-being. After you turned to the Dark Side," I winced slightly, but Vandar continued, "one Knight stumbled upon an anomaly in the same area where your family disappeared. He vanished for several weeks; we had believed that he was gone. Somehow, he found his way back. He was severely wounded, and died shortly after he arrived at the Enclave. But not before he could tell us of what he had found."

"Go on…"

Master Vrook picked up where Master Vandar had ended, "On the other side of the anomaly was another planet, and he claimed that he found your sister, still alive, living there."

I fought to keep a neutral look on my face, "So she's alive?"

Master Vandar nodded, "Yes, Revan. She's alive. We had tried several times to send Knights to bring her back. It was believed that she might have been able to bring you back to the light."

"Did she decide not to come back?"

"Quite the opposite. She was desperate to come back. Life is very difficult for her there. She is battling strange creatures, the likes of which we have never seen. We found a way to open a communications link for a short period of time a few years ago when we sent another Jedi to find her. She begged us to let him bring her back. Shortly afterwards, the link was severed. We felt the Knight become one with the Force before he could return. "He paused. "We gave up trying to bring her back. As much as it pained us to leave her, we couldn't lose any more knights. Now, with the Sith threat surely quelled for a time, we want to try and bring her home."

"I'll do it." I replied before they could even ask.

A smirk came across the small Master's face, "We can provide you with a ship if you need it…and you can take whomever you wish with you."

I tried to contain my jubilation. "I don't believe a ship will be necessary. I have a ship and crew that I'm sure will help me on this quest."

Master Dorak handed me a data pad, "These are the coordinates for the anomaly as well as a few basic files on the two of you. Be careful, and may the Force be with you."

I accepted the data pad, bowed and left to talk to the group.


	3. Start of a New Adventure

Chapter 3

"So let me get this straight" Carth crossed his arms. "The Council wants us to go through a spatial anomaly to a planet no one has ever seen to find your sister." He paused and looked straight at me, "Revan, I know this means a lot to you but doesn't this seem like a long shot."

Everyone stared at me, waiting for my answer.

"Okay, I'll admit it" I leaned against the wall in the Ebon Hawk's center meeting room. "It probably will be next to impossible for us to find her, if she's still alive. If we don't find her, we can come back. It shouldn't be that difficult." He looked at me skeptically.

"Come on, Carth." Mission piped up, "It's not like there's really anything to do around here besides fend of reporters, let's go for it!!"

_Always up for an adventure_ I smiled at the young Twi'lek.

"If this is going to be a problem, the Council offered to give me my own ship to take in ... Alone." I added the last word just for Carth's sake. It worked.

"I don't think so . . . "He dropped his arms to his sides, his eyes flashed with worry, concern and a slight bit of indignation, "I'm not letting you go in there alone, Revan."

I smiled, "Thanks Carth. What about the rest of you?"

"I'm in!!!" Mission chimed in.

I will follow wherever you choose to go Zaalbar growled.

"Ahhhh ... What else is there . . . count me in." Jolee winked at me.

"I will come with you; I'm quite interested to meet this sister of yours."

I smiled, "Thanks Bastilla."

Juhani nodded to me and I knew that she wasn't going to leave my side either.

"Count me in." Canderous stepped forward.

T3 beeped excitedly.

"Of course I wouldn't leave you behind," I laughed.

"Well then," Carth looked at me and smiled, "I guess this means we'll head out for Dantooine as soon as everything's ready."

Everyone scattered to check the ship over.

"Rev?" Carth began to walk towards me, "Can I talk to you? I want to ask you about what we said on Rakatan."

I immediately began to feel uneasy. It had been 3 months since then and I'd pretty much absorbed myself in meditations or other things in order to avoid this discussion.

"Carth, can this wait until another time…I…" I avoided his eyes as I searched for an excuse…any excuse, "We need supplies…when I get back we can talk…alright?"

He sighed, "Rev, why do you keep running from me?"

"I…I've gotta go." I ducked away from him and hurried out of the Hawk.

Luckily something more important than getting the latest picture of Bastilla or I had to have come up because all of the reporters that had swarmed the docking bay had gone MIA. I slipped out of the docking bay and went to buy supplies.

As I was leaving one store, I was caught off guard when someone tugged my arm and pulled me aside.

"I understand the Council is sending you through the anomaly." Master Zhar spoke in a hurried hushed tone.

"Yes, they are sending me to find my sister." I answered, slightly annoyed.

"I know. They did not tell you everything, however." He glanced around, "The people that inhabit the planet are a very suspicious group. They do not trust anything they don't understand. They will shoot you down if they see you."

"That's nice to know." I said through clenched teeth,_ Great, just when I thought they were actually going to be honest with me for once._ "How are we going to get by them then?"

"Several workers are loading a cloaking device on your ship. When you exit the anomaly, simply switch it on. It'll keep you undetectable so you can find Kahelle. However, it can only last for up to 1 week. After that . . ."

"We become a giant red light saying 'Blow us up' I get it." I turned to walk away and paused to glance back at the kind Twi'lek, "Thanks" He nodded and stepped back into the store.

The afternoon sun streamed through the buildings as I walked back to the Hawk.

I went to the bridge and there in the pilot's chair was Carth. He turned to me. "Welcome back, almost thought you'd decided to ditch us and go solo anyways."

"I don't know, but that option is starting to look pretty good if you're going to keep busting my chops." I put my hands on my hips and smiled. He tossed a Don't-Even-Think-About-It look in my direction. "Just take care of the ship, flyboy." I playfully pushed his shoulder and went back to my quarters to rest. It's a long trip to, well…wherever we're going to end up.

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I woke up a few hours later and went to the center meeting room to fix myself some caffa. I heard loud voices coming from the bridge. Shortly afterwards, Bastilla came storming by.

"Hey!! What's . . .?"

She was too absorbed to even notice that I was sitting there.

_Wonder what Carth said this time . . ._

I continued to sip on my caffa when Carth came in.

He sat across from me. "That woman is so . . ."

"Uptight, Prissy, Frustrating . . . need I go on . . . "

He gave a half-attempt at a smile

"What happened this time?"

"Just a little argument . . . nothing else." The look he gave me said not to press the subject any further.

"So . . . how much longer until we get to Dantooine?" I took another sip, never letting my eyes leave his face.

"About 12 hours." He leaned back in the chair.

"Whoa, I was asleep for a lot longer than I thought!" I set the cup down.

It was silent for a while. I stretched, "Well, I'm going to go work on the Swoop a little."

"We probably won't be there long enough to do any racing, you know."

"I know, I just . . . need . . . I mean . . ."

He shrugged, "Go on, I understand."

I avoided his eyes and headed for the hanger.

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Canderous was surprisingly quiet while I worked on the swoop.

"What's up with you?" I slid out from under the bike.

"It's nothing to you." He didn't even look at me.

"You aren't normally this tight-lipped about . . . well . . . anything. Spill." I wiped the grease on my pants and waited.

"It's none of your business and I'm not talking." He walked out leaving me alone.

I resumed working on the bike. A little under an hour later, Canderous' voice startled me, causing me to bang my head on the bottom of the swoop.

"I thought you Jedi heard everything from miles away. Ha!"

I slid out from under the bike rubbing my sore temple and shot him a look, just enough to let him know I didn't appreciate the surprise.

"So, decide you wanted to talk after all."

"No. We're nearing the coordinates from that data pad you gave Carth. Figured you'd like to know."

"Thanks." I softly touched the tender spot on my forehead and went to clean up.

I returned to the bridge after a quick trip to the refresher.

Carth and Bastilla were already there.

"So, do we see anything yet?"

Carth jumped.

"Nothing visible, but if these coordinates are correct, it should be right . . . "Bastilla's words were cut short as the ships alarms began blaring.

"Whatever it is, I think we found it." Carth flipped on the communications system, "Everyone hold on, this could be a bumpy ride."

I watched, as the space in front of us seemed to open in a blinding light.

"Here we go!"

I braced myself as the ship began to shudder. A sudden pitch threw me against the wall.

"Are you alright, Revan?" Bastilla asked as I pulled myself back to my feet.

"I'm fine." The ship jumped, this time I managed to stay on my feet.

"We're almost through the other side."

_"The people that inhabit the planet are a very suspicious group. They do not trust anything they don't understand. They will shoot you down if they see you."_

"Crap!" I started for the cargo hold.

"Where are you going?!?" Carth yelled over the alarms after me.

"Making sure our trip doesn't come to an abrupt end." I yelled over my shoulder.

My eyes darted around the hold looking for the cloaking device. I looked over and saw a strange box in the corner.

_That has to be it._

I ran over to it. There was a panel with three buttons on it: red, green, and blue.

_Crap, Which button turns it on?_

As the ship pitched again, I tried to remember my conversation with Zhar.

_"We become a giant red light saying 'Blow us up"_

"It's as good as anything."

I slammed my hand down on the red button. I held my breath until I heard it buzz to life. I'd never been so happy to hear something start up. Running, I left the hold and went back to the bridge.

The ship pitched a few more times, knocking me off my feet more than once. By the time I reached the bridge, things had stabilized. A planet had appeared.

"I guess this is it then?" Carth leaned back in the chair.

"Well, flyboy. Let's land this thing."

_We're coming to bring you home Kahelle._


	4. Strange New World

A/N - Okay, disclaimer time again. The only character I truly own is Kahelle. She is mine. In addition, I am sure everyone has noticed that the rating changed. This is because of language. Okay, just a little quick something to ease some confusions. The around a phrase in italics is someone else's thoughts in the main character's mind. Sorry about the confusion…L

Thank you everyone for your reviews. When I started writing this fic, I didn't expect to do well with it at all.

Well, here is the next chapter. Hope ya'll like it!!!

Chapter 4

As the ship settled, we noticed a blue/green planet directly ahead of us. Carth carefully brought us into its atmosphere; there was a small city close by.

"We should put down over there," I pointed to a small flat area that was hidden by trees, "that should keep us away from any suspicious eyes."

Carth expertly brought us down into the small patch of land that I had pointed out.

Almost immediately, Bastilla took control. "If we're going to find Kahelle, this could be a good place to start. Let's go."

"That's assuming she ended up somewhere around here Bastilla, this planet is huge. Didn't you notice that there seem to be thousands of cities around this place? She could be anywhere." Carth leaned back and crossed his arms.

_ Damn it; get back here you slimy little . . . _

I shook my head. _What the hell was that?_

"Are you alright?" Carth looked at me, "You're white as a ghost."

I swallowed hard. "Yeah, I'll be fine . . . just thought I heard something."

They looked at me questioningly.

"Well, are we gonna go check everything out or not?" I turned and started to leave.

"Let's go then." Carth followed me out.

_ Okay, 10 to 1 isn't fair odds _

"Let's take Jolee and Canderous with us . . ." I rubbed my head, _Where was that voice coming from?_

I looked back at Carth and Bastilla, "I have a feeling we might need them."

Carth looked at me oddly but switched on his com, "Canderous, Jolee meet us in the center room."

After meeting up in the center room, the five of us stepped out into the warm night air and headed towards the city.

I felt like something was tickling the edges of my brain when that voice broke through again.

_ I'm going to be so fucking sore in the morning! _

I looked around for the source of the voice but no one was around other than our little group.

"Hey! You alright kid?" Jolee grabbed my arm.

"I'll be fine." _Soon as I get this damned voice out of my head, _I hurried to catch up.

We cautiously explored the city for several hours. No sign of Kahelle. I was beginning to feel defeated, _Maybe we can't find her…Carth was right, it's impossible._ We continued through the city even though there didn't seem to be any hope of finding anything. People didn't even seem to notice us at all. Most wouldn't even stop to answer my questions but pushed past us. Giving up, we decided to find our way back to the Hawk.

After wandering around this city, we finally found what we believed to be the streets that lead back to the woods we came from. Instead, we came to the end of an alleyway. There was a large cage-looking structure blocking us from going further. A low laugh came from behind us. Everyone whirled around, keeping me trapped behind Canderous.

I tried to look between Carth and Canderous. However, a woman of rather small stature trying to look over 2 not-exactly-small guys…well, it doesn't really work. From what I could see there appeared to be a group of men both older and younger standing between us and the only way out.

"Look, we're not looking for trouble. Let's just part ways and. . . . "

One of the men interrupted Carth, "Oh, absolutely not. You see, my friends and I are hungry . . . "He began to morph into large creature that appeared to be a product of a human and something resembling a Kath Hound! Bastilla and Jolee ignited their lightsabers. I didn't have enough room to maneuver for mine. I heard a rattling above us. A human figure leapt from the top of the "cage" and landed between the monsters and us.

"Wait a sec, I've been chasing you and your little slimy friends here," she tossed a small, slime-covered creature in front of them. "And you decided to come have a party? Without inviting me?" she crossed her arms, "Jayder, how could you?!"

"Step aside, little girl. This doesn't concern you." Jayder's voice contained a slight growl mixed into it.

"Let's see," she stepped closer towards them, "Five civilians and seven werewolves, yeah I think that makes this my concern."

One of the werewolves stepped closer to her, growling. Almost with a simple flick of her wrist, she pulled out two three-pronged, hand-held weapons and pointed one at him.

I felt that tingle across my brain again.

_ I really didn't want to get blood on this outfit . . . _

"Bring it on fur ball. I need a new coat." She hissed.

_Where is that voice coming from?_

She paused for a moment, looked backwards and shook her head.

One of the werewolves shifted back to human form and grabbed the leader. "Come on, Jayder. I'm as hungry as the next guy but I don't feel like losing a limb just to have a little bit of dinner."

I lost my balance and fell back behind Canderous.

I heard footsteps leaving. Bastilla and Jolee extinguished their lightsabers.

"Oh great, so the Council sent more Jedi for me to watch? Or did that sniveling little…eh…nope…you've gotta be Jedi…otherwise you would have attacked me already… Well, go find someplace to hole-up until someone or something kills you, I don't feel like baby-sitting today." I heard her turn around.

I looked over at Bastilla, "Baby-sit!!!" I could barely see Bastilla's face, it was a little paler than usual but the color returned quickly with her indignation, "We were sent here . . ."

"Yes, yes, yes, I know. What a noble mission, find and save the damsel in distress." Sarcasm dripped from her voice, "Face it, if I wasn't here, you would all be dog food by now."

_Dog food?_

She stepped closer to us, "Which of you keeps playing with my head, damn it?!?"

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Kahelle:

I placed a hand threateningly on the sai at my side. The two Jedi looked at me with some strange mixture of confusion and, in the case of the elder, humor and the younger, annoyance.

_ What the hell is going on? I can't see. If I was a little taller, or Canderous a little shorter… _

I shook my head. "Which of you is Canderous?"

The larger man spoke up, "How did you know me? What do you want?"

I walked up to him, "A little bird told me. Now, move." I placed my hands on his shoulder and pushed him aside. He glared at me but let me by.

_Well, that was easier than I thought. _I flashed him a fake smile and turned to look at whomever it was that had been playing with my mind all night.

The mirror image I found myself face to face with caused all the color to drain out of my face. _It's been so long . . .they all said… surely it's not . . . _my voice caught at the back of my throat.

"Revan? Is it . . . it can't be . . . is it really you?"

Her face stayed neutral, "Hello Kahelle. The Council sent us to bring you back."

I stepped back, wondering why she was acting so distant. I looked over the group, "Well, it's about damn time someone came who could get the job done."

This earned a laugh from the elder Jedi. I opened my mouth to say something when a stream of explanatives came my direction from down the alleyway.

My eyes widened as I recognized he voice. "Oh shit!!! I completely forgot! ! !"

I had left Kimno with a group of the little slimy demons when I saw Jayder slip out of the fray. Kimno's not a very large man, maybe 5'11 or something like that but even I won't get in his way when he's pissed.

_Crap! _I started to turn towards him, ready for the barrage I was sure was about to come. I began to apologize but he stormed right past me and up to Revan.

"What the fucking hell were you thinking?!?"

"Uh . . . Kimno." he didn't even hear me.

"You just disappeared and fucking left me to get my ass kicked by those damn . . ."

"KIMNO!!!" I yelled, finally getting him to turn around. The look on his face was priceless. "Kimno, I'd like you to meet my twin sister, Revan."

"Uh . . . oh crap, I'm sorry… um, hi?" he ran a hand through is ear-length, black-dyed-dark-blue hair and turned back towards me.

I started before he could begin his barrage anew, "I'm sorry alright!!! I saw Jayder and his lackeys slinking away from the fight . . ." I crossed my arms, "Besides, I figured you could handle yourself for a few minutes against a couple…dozen…of those little things." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I can handle myself perfectly fine . . ." he let out an exasperated sigh, "That's not the point Kahelle."

"Would someone mind filling us in here? Who is this?" Revan was angry, rightfully so, considering she was just verbally abused by a complete stranger.

"Oh, this is Kimno." I playfully punched his shoulder; "He's the best damn demon hunter on the planet."

"Okay, Kahelle. You know, sucking up just doesn't look good on you."

I smiled at him, "This means I'm out of the doghouse, right?"

He cast a side wards glance at me, "Not even close."

I shrugged and then froze as something sent ripples across my consciousness.

"Uh, Kimno…we need to get out of here. We've got some company of the uh . . . blood sucking variety on the way . . ."

One vampire was never enough to flash anything in my head. No reflection in a mirror, no reflection on a mind. However, a large enough group was enough to send a slight flutter through me.

"Well, the house is out of commission until morning." He rubbed the back of his neck, "There's several . . . uh …Pissed off un-dead things waiting out there."

"Shit." I looked at Revan. "What a second, you have a ship!!!"

"Yeah, we landed…well…we don't really know where exactly…" she answered.

I looked into her mind and saw the trees, and the meadow where they had landed.

"Okay, follow me. It's actually not that far." They looked at me oddly but followed me all the same.

"Wait . . . what . . . How . . . "She stammered.

"You act surprised. The council told you about my gift . . ." I waved my hand dismissively, "but we'll discuss that when we're not in the open. I personally don't want to become a walking juice box."

I peered around the corner. Seeing nothing, we headed towards their ship.


	5. Sidetrack 1

Hey everyone! Well, this is my first "sidetrack" chapter. Actually, that's just a nicer way to say that I have serious writer's block. Don't worry though; I'll have a new chapter up for everyone in no time. In the meantime. . . Enjoy! ! !

She leaned against the school building, waiting. The bell rang and a horde of high school students rushed past. She looked through them, searching for someone. A raven-haired boy made his way towards her with a pretty, young, Hispanic girl following closely behind.

"Does she really need to come with us this time?" The Hispanic girl sighed and nodded in the direction of the girl leaning against the wall.

"Yes, Amanda. She's proved time and again that she's the best fighter we know." The boy turned to Amanda.

Amanda glared at the girl who had still not moved from her place against the wall.

"You know, you could always go home and. . .Oh, I don't know . . . wash your hair, get a pedicure. . . I'd hate for you to break a nail." The girl spat back.

"Fine Kimno. She can come, but if she has a tragic 'accident' don't blame me."

Kimno smirked, "I though you only slayed demons, Amanda. You're just bluffing."

"Are we going or not?" the girl pushed herself off the wall and stood with her hands on her hips.

"Geez, do you ever slow down, kid?" Kimno laughed at her.

The "kid" blushed, "I'm only 3 years younger than you! Quit calling me a kid!"

"Fine then, you got a name?"

"Why has it taken you nearly 4 months to ask me my name?" She crossed her arms in defiance.

"Because we didn't' expect you to still be alive." Amanda snapped. The girl glared at her and then turned back to Kimno.

"My name's Kahelle Tetra."

"Okay. . . Kahelle. . .interesting name. . .well, let's go."


	6. Connections

Okay, Writer's Block CURED!!!!! Well, temporarily at least. : -D Anyways, here's chapter 5. Everyone enjoy and review . . . it's the law! ! ! Okay, maybe not the law but it is really really nice!

Chapter 5

Kahelle:

On the way back to Revan's ship, I quietly scanned her mind.

She knew my name, sure, but when she looked at me, it seemed like she was looking at a complete stranger. Of course, it had been so many years, but she didn't even seem to know I had existed in the first place.

I gave up trying to find out what happened to her, her memories seemed to be blocked. Without a complete mind-link, I couldn't pull them forward.

_Revan, Let's talk_.

She looked over at me confused.

_Sorry, I forgot, we haven't done this in awhile…just open your mind…pretty much…just think…I'll hear you._

_ Okay, this work? _

I smiled _Exactly! We used to do this all the time as kids. Remember?_

Her face fell back into that neutral expression, I was starting to really hate that expression; _Actually, I can't remember many things anymore. Long story… _she looked at me with a cocked eyebrow _Hey, why can I hear your thoughts and not anyone else's? _

I sighed, _I'll tell you about that later. How much farther to your ship?_

_ Just up ahead. _

_We can catch up when we get aboard. You know, have some "sister time"._

_ That'll be nice. This is the Hawk. _

I looked at the empty field before us.

_Um…where?_

She kind of laughed; the others looked back at us but continued on _In front of us. There's a cloaking field activated on the ship. Just follow me. _

_That would explain why you weren't shot at as soon as you entered the atmosphere._

I followed her closely, nearly stumbling as I stepped onto the incline up. As soon as we were inside the ship, I pulled Kimno aside.

"Listen, Revan and I need some sister-to-sister time. You gonna be alright?" I winked at him. I knew he'd be fine, aloof and quiet but fine, unless one of this motley crew Revan seemed to have gathered decided to do something stupid.

Revan grabbed one of the men, I think she had called him Carth and went to the side. After a few hushed words, he squeezed her hand and walked off.

_ He's going to make sure no one will be bothering us. _

_Good._

I smiled at Revan and turned back to Kimno.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." He turned and began walking away.

"Oh Kimno," I smirked, allowing my mischief to glint in my eyes, "Don't kill any of the crew, 'kay?

He rolled his eyes and walked off.

"You ready?" Revan came towards me.

I waved my hand in front of me, "Lead the way."

She led me on a quick view of the ship before we reached her quarters. Her room must have been an office or a monitor room…definitely not a living area. There weren't any "homey" comforts, with the exception of the bed that had been added to the room in the far side.

We sat down on the floor across from each other. I stared at Revan, just taking in the fact that this was real. My sister was really here sitting in front of me.

It was uncomfortably quiet for the first few minutes. Now that we had "alone" time, neither of us really knew where to start.

I cleared my throat, "So, anything you want to ask me?"

She leaned back and crossed her arms. "Well, you never did answer me about why I can only hear your thoughts?"

I laughed, "Sorry. It's actually pretty simple. You know your bond with Bastilla?"

"Wait? Where did you find out about the bond between Bastilla and me?" She cocked one eyebrow.

"Nothing big, but it's not hard for me to see your memories…at least some of them…"

"Ah."

I continued, "Anyways, it's kind of like that. Except that, it's the Force that connects you two. Us?" I smiled, "Well, that's the funny thing about family. Our blood connects us. It makes us pretty much one and the same."

She smiled a little.

"Yeah, the Council thought it was probably exemplified by the fact that I was telepathic." I laughed, "Remember the time Master Zhar caught me . . ."I let the thought trail off as I saw the lost look on Revan's face.

"Actually, I don't … I don't really remember most of anything from before . . ." she sighed," Let me start from the beginning." She continued on to tell me of what had happened since the last time we saw each other well… at least what she could remember. Her fall to the dark side, her capture, and how she helped find and destroy a space station called the Star Forge.

"So, you don't remember anything from before you woke up on the Endar Spire?"

She nodded. "Some things have been coming back, that's how I found out about you. But there are still so many memories that are lost."

We both sat silently for a moment. "Well, I could help you unlock some of those memories" she looked at me skeptically, "Seriously; I can go into your memories and find the ones that are missing. We'll both be very weak for a while . . . but that side affect is temporary."

She looked at the floor, I know she meant to hide the next thought from me but I heard it

_ What if I fall to the dark side again? _

"Hey," she looked up at me, "I can see your memories before I unlock them, anything I see that could hurt you, I'll leave it locked up, deal?"

She sighed, "Okay, let's do this."

I scooted a little closer to her, "Just calm down and open up your mind."

I grabbed her hand, establishing a physical link was necessary for this to work.

_I won't let anything happen to you, I promise._

I closed my eyes and felt our minds connect. I sifted through some of the memories…lingering on some of her happier memories with Carth. It was sweet to see someone actually being in love…although she seemed to be unsure of what to do. I left those memories and delved into some of her older memories.

I fought hard to hold the link after the next few memories I saw. Those of her murdering people, both old and young, caused me to shake but I continued on, leaving them locked. It might drive her insane if I were to allow them to surface all at once. Things would probably be a lot easier if I just allowed those memories to come back normally. I wanted to focus on unlocking her memories of her childhood, her days at the Academy, everything up to what made her fall to the dark side to begin with. One memory seemed to jump out at me…one of the Council…and Revan…injured and barely alive. I could feel the rage building in me as the memory played on. I could feel myself starting to fade…my energy was quickly being spent. Revan was becoming weaker as well; I needed to hurry…there were only a few more memories I needed to get unlocked for her.

Quickly, I skipped through the rest of the messier memories, leaving them alone…I went to the end of the Mandalorian Wars and began to unlock all of the memories from there and back. As I finally reached the memories of our early childhood on Derillia, I could feel her slipping into unconsciousness.

_Just hold on a little bit longer, Rev._

I quickly unlocked the last memories and broke our link. I opened my eyes to see Revan's face. She was pale. I watched as her eyes fluttered open to look towards me. As they finally settled onto me, my vision blurred and then went black.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was four hours later when I finally stumbled out of Revan's quarters leaving her sound asleep . . . possibly unconscious but okay.

I leaned against the wall, weak but still able to move . . . a little at a time and painfully slow. Finally, I made it to a large room; I guess it was the main meeting room of the ship. My knees failed from underneath me and I went to the floor. I pulled my self back up and tried to stand but fell back heavily against the wall.

The whole crew was there. It was the first time I'd seen the other five crewmembers. Of course, I knew plenty about them from Revan's memories but I'd have to meet them later. I heard footsteps coming towards me from across the room. Kimno was coming directly towards me . . . a mixture of his silly protectiveness and pure worry clouded his forest green eyes.

"Kahelle! You look like shit. What happened to you?"

I stumbled forward. He stepped closer and tilted his head in curiosity. My knees went weak again and I fell against him. He helped me to stand. "What the hell?" he held me back and looked at me.

My voice was barely a whisper.

"We . . . we linked . . . I hel . . ." I paused as my mind began to spin; I spoke a little slower, "I helped her get her memories back."

The Jedi looked at each other in obvious concern. I was finding it increasingly difficult to stand on my own. However, my strength was slowly starting to come back.

"Are you fucking stupid, Kahelle?!? Last time you tried to link with someone, you nearly went comatose on me."

I pushed away from him and leaned back against the wall, "I'll be fine."

"What about Revan? Is she okay?" Carth started towards her quarters.

I grabbed his arm to stop him, "Leave her be. She's sleeping." He looked at me almost as though I was lying. "She'll be fine. I wouldn't do anything to hurt my sister."

"God dammit Kahelle!!! Weren't you thinking?!? When you linked with Amanda, she nearly . . ."  
  
"I don't need to be reminded of that Kimno!" I spat back.

My mind was still a little clouded but I overheard Bastilla mutter something about needing to inform the Council of Revan's memories.

_One of Revan's memories flashed in to my mind, her memory of having her mind wiped. I had left that one locked. As far as she knew, she had no knowledge of the event. However, she was aware the whole time of what was going on. Of them forcing themselves into her mind, burying her memories, destroying the part of her that was Revan, reprogramming her into a Republic scout named Challe . . .I could hear her screams: begging them to stop, pleading for mercy, swearing allegiance to the Light: echoing through my head as I pushed the memory back. The last image I saw was of Bastilla standing to the side, the good little Jedi, watching the Masters._

"Absolutely," I sheathed, "I have quite a bit I'd like to" I paused, closing my eyes, gathering my strength. " . . . discuss . . . with them about what they did to Revan."

The fair-skinned Jedi seemed to pale slightly.

"You know what I'm talking about don't you." I stepped towards her, my anger giving me the strength I'd lost," You were in on it the whole time! For all I know, you thought it up!"

She turned away from me, "I have no idea what you are talking about."

I sneered at her, "Oh, really?" I pulled the memory forward, along with some random thoughts and forced them into her mind. Not enough to drive her insane, just enough to make her mind reel.

She gasped and stepped back until her back hit the wall. After a moment, I allowed the thoughts to dissipate. She shook her head and looked at me, pleading her case.

"Kahelle, you must understand. We only did what was necessary . . . more people might have died…"

I took a step forward, allowing my anger to fuel me. "That still didn't make it right, bitch." I could barely recognize my own voice.

"Kahelle, you need to calm down, NOW!" I continued towards her. Kimno grabbed my arm roughly and turned me away from her. It shocked me out of my concentration.

I instantly began feeling dizzy. Kimno started to say something, but I couldn't understand him, all of the strength, both physical and mental, was leaving me. I yanked his hand from my arm and started to take a step forward when the world went black. The last voice I remembered was Kimno.

"Oh shit!!"


	7. The Past

Hello again. Here is the next chapter. Thank you to Prisoner24601 (btw, love the Les Mis ref!!!) for some great tips. I was having alot of trouble getting italics to show up as well as some of my other little characters (like the ). Without further ado, here' s chapter 6. Enjoy!

Chapter 6

When I finally woke up, Kimno was nowhere to be found.

_Shit!_ I rubbed my eyes, my head was pounding _I feel like I've been on an all-night party binge with Gavin again._

Gavin.

I hadn't thought of that name in a long time.

_And you're not going to think about him now either_

I rolled out of bed and looked around. After getting my bearings, I decided to explore a little. Oddly, I ended up in that meeting room.

Carth was sitting at the table, drinking . . . something, couldn't tell. He glanced up at me as I walked in. I smiled and sat down across from him. "You wouldn't happen to have any coffee around here would you?"

"Coffee?" I guessed they didn't. . .

"Never mind," We sat for a moment. "Okay, you look like someone just ran over your dog . . . you okay?" I crossed my arms on the table.

"I'm just worried. Revan hasn't gotten up yet. I've gone in a couple of times to check on her, she doesn't even stir." He looked into his drink and back at me.

I'd seen that look before. Kimno used to look that way when he was worried about Amanda.

"You love her don't you?"

He smiled.

_Wow, with a smile like that I'm not surprised she fell for you! _

"Am I that obvious?" I grinned back at him. "I've told her, if that's what you're wondering. . ."

I taped my forehead, "I know . . . telepath here, remember?"

He shifted slightly, "And. . .Ahem . . . what exactly did you find . . .?"

I laughed, "Easy there, lover boy. I try to steer clear from THOSE thoughts." He turned a slight shade of red, "Unless they're about me, some of those are funny. That's beside the point though. The point is I know you've told her how you feel."

"Right, and?" 

"Look," I leaned a little closer, "my sister is absolutely crazy about you. She just a little scared. By the way, don't tell her I said that," I winked, "Anyways, she knows the council isn't going to be too happy about what's going on between you two. Shit, Bastilla's objection is mild compared to what the Council's will be."

"Maybe we should just let it be then. I don't want her in any more trouble with the Council." He looked back at his drink.

"Bad idea." I leaned back. "Revan'll be absolutely miserable without you, Carth." He opened his mouth to protest, but I cut him short, "Look, I'll handle the Council when it comes down to it. You both deserve happiness. I can't have it so I may as well make sure Revan does. I thought I had it. . ." _Oh God, now I'm rambling_ "but that was a long time ago."

He looked at me; obviously, I'd sparked his curiosity. Now it was my turn to look away.

"His name was Gavin." I could feel myself blush slightly, "Gavin was . . . strong . . . powerful. I was only 16 when I first met him. Even at that young, I could feel how much power was coursing through him. In fact, he was a wizard. He loved to use necromagics. . . in fact, he taught me how to use them too." _Yeah, of course that was before he decided that he was so powerful he should control the world. . .Before he allied himself with the vampires. . .before Amanda. . ._

"So where is this guy now?"

"I have no idea. It doesn't matter now anyways. He's . . . different."

_Kimno tried to warn me but no. I could change Gavin; I could make him content with just me. I didn't listen . . . and the cost was high._

"I was young, headstrong, stupid. I made some mistakes. It's been a long time since then. "I finally looked up at Carth, "You hurt . . . you learn . . . but even with all that you still fall in love. . ." I stopped _Shit!!! I said WAY too much! Well, can't take it back now . . . please say he didn't catch it . . ._

"Kimno." The look he gave me let me know that he had caught on to it.

I could feel my face burning, "What if it is?" I sighed, "He's just a friend. Nothing more. He made that clear long ago."

Kimno walked in.

"Good morning, finally up?" He looked from me to Carth and then back to me.

"Hey, Kimno. Where ya' been?"

His look turned grim, "I went to talk to Seth." He glanced at Carth and back towards me. "I know you're anxious to get home and everything, but let's go to the house real quick and change."

I smiled at Carth, "We'll talk some more later."

I stood and followed Kimno out.

Revan:

I don't know how long I was out.

I woke up and slowly raised myself to a sitting position on my bed.

_So many memories, emotions . . . answers.___

Kahelle had shown me so many things, though I'm sure there were still some of the more dangerous memories locked away, as she promised.

I lay back down, closed my eyes, and let my thoughts drift back to the last day I had seen Kahelle before last night.

_"Hey Revan!" I turned to see Kahelle, 12-years-old, bounding towards me._

_We were back on Dantooine, at the Academy._

_She nearly slid to a stop in front of me; dropping the satchel she carried everywhere. Her soft, pale-blue eyes glinted with mischief._

_I put my hands on my hips, being a full 5 minutes older, I sometimes acted as if it was 5 years, "What are you up to now?"_

_She laughed._

_"Well, I overheard one of the Masters talking about some force-sensitive caves somewhere nearby to one of the new Jedi. I got curious so I asked her about it."_

_"And?" my interest was peaked._

_"She told me that I didn't need to worry myself with it until I was older. So, I . . . well. . ."_

_"You went into a Master's mind!?!"_

_"Shih…..Not so loud!" she hissed, looking around to make sure no one heard._

_"Kahelle!"__ I whispered, "Don't you remember what happened the last time a Master caught you in his mind?"_

_She smiled, "Don't worry. It was quick, in and out. I promise!" She placed a hand against her chest. "Anyways," she leaned closer, "I know where the caves are. Wanna go explore?"_

_I crossed my arms, "You know we're not supposed to leave the Academy! If we get caught. . ."_

_"We'll go at night, no one will know we're missing . . . Come on . . . it'll be fun!" _

_I shook my head, "Yeah, just like last time you talked me into sneaking out huh? I think I'll stay here." She pouted, "Look, I don't feel like having to help alphabetize the Archives . . . again," I whispered, "And if I have to listen to another lecture from Master Vrook. . ."_

_"Fine!__ Just don't tell on me . . . please?" She looked at me, pleading._

_I gave in, "Okay, but if you're not back by morning. . ."_

_"I know. . . I know." She casually waved a hand in my direction._

_I heard a large group of students coming down the hall._

_Please be careful_

_She winked Don't worry, I will she stretched her hand towards the bag, it flew to her. "Well, if you're going to be such a spoil sport, let's go on to dinner then." She grinned at me._

_We joined the students headed for the mess hall._

I opened my eyes and allowed a tear to fall down my cheek.

_If only I'd known that could have been the last time I'd see her . . . would I have begged her to stay? Gone with her? At least told her how much I loved her?_

I wiped the tears from my face and sat up.

_Stop it Revan! She's here now. That what matters. You are back together again_. I looked around,_ Speaking of Kahelle, where is she?_

I stood and immediately felt a wave of dizziness overwhelm me. I braced myself against the wall until my head quit spinning.

I made my way to the center meeting room. Carth was the only one there. He sat with his back to me. He appeared to be thinking about something.

"Where is everybody?" I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall.

He turned and looked at me before jumping up and coming to me.

"Are you alright?!" he cupped my face in his hands as his deep chestnut eyes searched mine.

I laughed, "A little drowsy, maybe a little dizzy but otherwise just fine." I moved his hands away from my face. 

He stood holding my hands gingerly, as if he was afraid that the slightest bit of pressure might cause me to break. "It's just that. . . I was worried. . . After what happened to Kahelle."

My smile faded, "What happened to Kahelle?"

"Don't worry, she's alright now but about 6 hours ago, she came out here. She was very weak, barely able to stand. After awhile, she told us that she had 'linked' with you and unlocked some of your memories. Bastilla murmured something to Juhani and Kahelle went off on her."

"About what?" I closed my eyes as my head started to ache.

"You sure you're alright?"

I nodded, "Go on."

"I'm not really sure what it was about, it happened so fast. Next thing I knew, Bastilla was ghost-white and had backed herself up against the wall."

"Is Bastilla okay?" I opened my eyes.

"A little shaken, but she'll be fine. Kimno said that Kahelle just put a multitude of thoughts into Bastilla's mind to get her to fess up. Anyways, Bastilla started spouting apologies and excuses. Kahelle was so cold . . . so unsympathetic. Kimno finally grabbed hold of her arm and made her snap out of it. The strain of it all must have been way too much for her to handle. She passed out."

"But she's alright now, right?"

"Yeah, in fact, she's already been up and about. She left with Kimno a little over an hour ago. They should be back any minute."

Just then, Kahelle burst in clearly upset, and out of breath.

"Guys, we have serious trouble!"


	8. Change of Plans

Sorry it's taken so long to get the next chapter up.  Had SEVERE writer's block!!!  Thank you for the helpful tips everyone.  I'm working on the "scene thing" but I still don't have it down pat yet.  Well, without further ado, here's the newest chapter!!!  Enjoy!

Chapter 7

"What do you mean 'trouble'?"  I sidestepped Carth and walked over towards Kahelle.

"Enough trouble to postpone Kahelle's home-coming for a few days."  Kimno leaned against the doorway as she walked towards the center of the room.

"What's going on?"  Bastilla cast a cautious glance at Kahelle as she walked in.

I couldn't tell if she didn't realize it was Bastilla that had said anything or if she was purposefully ignoring her.  Either way, Kahelle leaned against the table with her arms crossed, "Vampires never congregate. . ."

"Wait a sec, vampires?"  I looked at her confused.

She sighed, "They are people who feed on the blood of other creatures.  Vampires appear human and many times act human.  However, for what matters, they're dead."

"Okay," I crossed my arms, "so what's odd about so many of them being here?"

Kahelle's face was very stoic.  Any of her usual airiness wasn't visible.

"Vampires normally don't like to gather in large groups unless there is something big about to happen."

"Which usually ends up as a mass feeding frenzy. . ." Kimno started.  Kahelle shot him a look.

"Well, you can read minds, right?"  Carth came and stood next to me, "Can't you use that to find out what they're up to?"

Kahelle leaned back with her hands on the table, "I can read the minds of anything alive, Carth.  And as I mentioned earlier, vampires aren't exactly alive."

"Anyways," Kimno stepped forward from his place at the doorway, "we have a friend named Seth who gets what information he can from inside one of the covens."  
  
"So, exactly how does he keep from being eaten?"  I asked.

Kahelle looked at Kimno then back to me, "Well, you see. . . Seth IS one of them."  
  
"Wonderful, so we're supposed to trust the exact thing you are hunting down?" Bastilla finally spoke up.

"Look, he hates Gavin for his own reasons and helps us so we'll get rid of him.  Without our intervention, Gavin. . ."

"Hold it. . . who's Gavin?"  I held up my hands.

"Let's just say he's a very powerful man." Kahelle stood up," And the longer we stand here yakking, the less chance we have of stopping whatever it is he's got planned."

"Slow it down, Hell-cat."  Kimno crossed his arms, "I want to beat the shit out of Gavin as much as you do, but we can't just run off half-cocked. We need a plan."

I tapped my fingers on my arms, "So what information was your friend able to get, Kimno?"

"Seth found me this morning and told me that Gavin had called all the covens together.  The elders are supposed to be meeting tonight.  The lesser vampires are supposed to keep Kahelle and I distracted.  However, he hasn't counted on the fact that we have a. . . well, a few more people here now.  While the elders are meeting, the second-in-commands of each coven are going to go to one of the local clubs to 'unwind'."

"So what's the plan?"  I looked at Kahelle.

_I don't know. . ._ she shrugged.

"Actually, I do have an idea of what will work." Kimno looked warily at Kahelle, "We'll split into 2 groups.  One group will go with me to keep the free buffet down to a minimum.  The other group. . ." he rubbed the back of his neck, "well, they'll go with Kahelle to the club. . .to make sure she can. . .well. . ."

"Hell no!!!"  Kahelle's face started to turn red, "There is no fucking way I'm gonna do that again. . ."

_Do what again, Kahelle?_

She looked over at me _He wants me to try to seduce a vampire _I looked at Kimno wide-eyed, in disbelief.  True, I'd flirted with a Sith trooper on Taris to get uniforms. . .but she said again. . .what happened last time. . . how far was she forced to go?

"Please Kahelle.  You just have to lure him out and back to the house."  He pleaded.

"And by lure you mean. . ." Carth began.

"Shamelessly throw myself at one of them."  Kahelle looked as though she could kill him at that moment and not bat an eye.

"Look, it seems to be the easiest way to take care of this." Kimno stood defensively.

"Fine, who's going with me."  She crossed her arms, still pissed.

"You'll take Carth and Revan.  Everyone else will be with me. . . I don't think anyone would mind a few. . . unusual looking people wandering through the alleys."

"Is there any way Mission could come with me, Kahelle and Carth, Kimno?"  The Twi'lek could take care of herself but I just didn't like the idea of putting her in that unnecessary danger.  _I nearly passed out when she helped us past the Rancor on Taris._

Kahelle looked at me, _She'd be in more danger with us in the club.  Trust Kimno on this._

I sighed and glanced at the ground. "Never mind.  Just don't let anything happen to her, Kimno."

"Believe me, I don't like the idea of taking a teenager along on a vampire hunt but. . . " He smiled at Kahelle, "I learned a long time ago that sometimes kids can be a stronger asset than the most experienced warrior."

"Hey, what's going on in here?"  As if on cue, Mission poked her head around the door, "What's with the old folks convention in here?"

"Just a small change in plans.  I'll explain later."  I knew that she wanted to know immediately, but she seemed tolerant about waiting . . . for the moment.

Kahelle glanced at Mission and back to Kimno, "So, what do you want me to do after I get him out of the club?" she almost visibly shuddered.

"The house is closest, we'll meet you there.  How you get him there . . . well . . . that's up to you."

Mission was itching to ask what was going on.  I had to keep myself from laughing at her.

"Okay, sounds decent.  You do know that you owe me big time for this, right?" Kahelle's eyes were almost slits as she glared at him.

Kimno just nodded and walked off down the hall.  Kahelle let out an exasperated sigh and went back towards the crew quarters.

"What was that all about?!" 

Carth and I laughed, "Okay, I promised an explanation. Here's what's going on. . ."

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Kahelle:

I slammed my fist into the wall.

_Damn you, Kimno!_

The wall clanked as I hit it again.  _The last time he sent me to gather information it had been from Gavin himself_.  I shuddered remembering the event. 

We had stopped him that time.  Although, I couldn't bring myself to look at Kimno for a long time after that.  I was so afraid that he would see what I had done to convince Gavin to give up his secrets. I fought down the bile that was rising in my throat. What I had done to convince him that I was still in love with him. 

I wiped my eyes as the tears began.  Just thinking of what had transpired that night . . . the guilt of using myself that way.  Betraying everything I'd ever thought, ever believed . . . betraying how I felt.

_Like he'd care._

I leaned forward and rested my forehead against the cool metal.  My tears flowed down my face.  I had wanted to tell him everything . . . thought about it more than once but I stopped as soon as the words reached my mouth.  The memory of my betrayal still cut deep. . .

_"Kimno?"  I placed a hand on his sagging shoulders.  "I'm sorry. . . I. . ." I bowed my head and then looked at the handsome 20-year-old who stood, defeated, in front of me._

_"Stop it, Kahelle!" he brushed my hand off his shoulder.  "This is the worst thing you could have done. . ."his words stung._

_"I. . . I'm sorry. . . I didn't know. . ." the tears welled up in my eyes._

_"No, you didn't know he'd leave you . . . but you knew she would overwhelmed by his power."  He looked at me, the betrayal darkened his eyes, "Did you think that I'd come running to you?  Huh?! That I'd all of a sudden fall for you. . . I can't love you!!  Especially not now."  I stepped back and looked down.  The tears now flowing down my face, "I don't even know if I can ever consider you a friend again."_

_"Kimno. . ."  I watched as he stormed off down the dark alley, "please don't leave . . . come back" my voice sounded so puny, so weak. He turned and looked at me before disappearing._

I wiped my face, turned with my back against the wall and sat down.

Thankfully, he did come back.  5 years later, but he did come back.  I had never tried to ask if all was forgiven.  It seemed that neither of us really wanted to talk about it.  Then again, maybe sending me to get information from Gavin had been his own sick, twisted way of revenge.

I looked up to see Revan standing at the doorway.

"Want to talk?"  She came and sat next to me.

I shook my head.  "Just reminiscing."

I wiped my eyes and looked at her.  "So, is everyone ready?"

"I guess so.  Kimno hasn't come out for a while.  I explained most of the plan to everyone."

"Now we just play the waiting game. . ." I stood up and offered a hand to Revan.

She smiled and stood up.  "Come on . . . let me show you how I pass the time. . ."

"You mean you do something rather than pine for a certain pilot?" I grinned.

She began to blush.  I chuckled.  "You know about that?"

"Both sides."  Her attention perked.

I held up my hands in mock-surrender, "Hey, you should discuss that with him . . . not me. . ." I smiled, "Give it a chance, sis."

"You know what the Council. . ."

"Fuck the council.  If push comes to shove, I'll take them on.  They don't know what I know."  I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall.

"Fine," she smiled, "I'll go talk to him." She cast a glance at me; it reminded me of a teenager, "so . . . uh . . . does he . . . well. . ."

I smiled surreptitiously at her, "You'll never find out if you stay here. . ."

She looked at me with mock-disappointment and turned to leave.

"You sure I can't just get you to tell me. . ."

I laughed, "Go!"

She did a half-salute to me and left.

_Now maybe they'll both finally get everything together._

I smiled to myself.

I heard Revan talking to someone outside my door.  Shortly afterwards, Kimno walked in.

_Speaking of the guys in our lives_.

"I just wanted to make sure you're alright with this.  I know last time was. . ."

I held up my hand, "I'll be fine, K."

He looked down at the floor, "Look, I know you say that now." He sighed, "You just have to get him to the house.  We can interrogate there.  It won't be like last time.  I promise."  He looked at me, I stood as though fixed to the spot by his eyes, "You know you can always come talk to me right?"

I nodded, and mocked a yawn, "yeah, though talking to you always seems about as interesting as watching water evaporate. . ."

He glared at me, and then laughed.  "Well, I better go then. . . I'll come find you when everything's ready."

He paused at the door, "Oh, and remember that the vampire will need a voice box to speak with, Hell-cat."

I faked an exasperated sigh, "If you say so. . ."

He smiled and left.

I watched him walk out the door, _Was that his way of an apology?_

A smile played across my lips as I laid down on the bed with my arms behind my head, _Maybe some things can change._


	9. Confessions

A/N Hello everyone. Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. Had a lot going on…graduations….work…stuff like that. I hope you all like this chapter. Any reviews are welcome. This is my first attempt at a "romance" chapter. Well, here goes. Thanks!!!

Chapter 8

Revan:

I knew she was right.

After all, throughout everything it was Carth, not the Jedi teachings, which kept me from returning to the Revan I had been. The very fact that he was there with me had kept me from giving up so many times.

_And what has the Order done for me: besides blocking my memories, sending me on a wild goose chase, nearly getting me killed multiple times before I even knew the real reason why. _

I sighed.

_They also kept me alive when all justice called for my execution._

I turned towards the meeting room. Mission and Zaalbar were playing a round of Pazaak. From his agitated howls, I assumed she was winning.

Not fair Mission

"What?" she leaned back and crossed her arms.

You cheated!! He growled back.

"Did not! You're just mad 'cuz I beat you again!" she began gathering up her deck.

For the 8th time!!

I cleared my throat getting their attention.

"Revan!" the teenager smiled, "Wanna play a round? I forgot that Big Z's a sore loser."

"No thanks, maybe another time." I smiled and then glanced around, "Actually, I'm looking for Carth. . ."

She began shuffling her side deck, "Last I saw him, he was in the cargo hold with Juhani." She dealt out her cards, "They were looking through the weapons." She looked at me curiously, "What exactly do you use against these vampire things anyways?"

I shook my head, "Sorry, don't know. That's probably a better question for Kimno or Kahelle."

"Maybe later. Come on Big Z, one more?"

I chuckled at his defeated groan. _Will he ever learn to just tell her 'No'?_ "See you in a few guys." I began to head towards the cargo hold.

I absentmindedly ran my hand along the corridor, thinking. Wondering what to say.

_Quit it Revan, you're acting like a teen with her first crush._

As I got closer, I decided to use the Force to see if both Carth and Juhani were still in the cargo hold. I froze in my tracks. It wasn't there. I couldn't touch it. There didn't even seem to be a whisper of the Force anywhere around us.

_Kahelle?!? What's going on?_ The panic was evident even in my thoughts.

_Calm down, sis. It's the norm here. Don't worry; when we get back to Republic space, you'll be able to feel the Force again._

_But how…how is it that the Force doesn't reach here?_

_Don't know, never took the time to really investigate I guess. _I could feel her impatience growing _Don't worry about it. Everything will be just fine with out it._

I sighed, _Well, I guess you've survived for years with out the Force here; I can survive a few days._

_That's the spirit! Now, go find that flyboy of yours… oops, Kimno's here…talk to you later._

I peaked around the corner and looked through the hold. Carth was there . . . alone. Juhani must have left.

"Hey gorgeous." He placed the bowcaster he held back in the large weapons locker.

"Sexless Marshtoad," I smirked.

"Ohh…so we're back to that now are we?" He laughed.

I walked over and hopped up to sit on one of the metal containers, "No, but it's still fun."

He sat down next to me, "You got something on your mind?"

I swallowed hard, "Actually, I do. I know it's seemed like I'm constantly pulling away from you. When we weren't being paraded around the Core Worlds as the 'Heroes of the Republic', I hid from you as well as everyone else. I absorbed myself in meditations and reading. Of everyone, I believe you deserve an explanation the most." I took a deep breath, and focused on a bolt in the floor," You see, when you told me you could love me, I was scared. The Council has strict rules about this. I tried to distance myself from you. I was afraid…"

"You were afraid they'd send me away from you?" He grabbed my chin and lifted my face to him.

I nodded, fighting the tears that threatened to cascade down my face.

_You can do this. _I could feel Kahelle pulling my buried strength forward.

_Thanks._

_By the way, Kimno wants to find you guys. We're talking to Bastilla right now. Don't know how long I can keep him from searching you two out._

She closed the link between us. I shook my head.

"Carth, I've decided that I'm going to leave the Order when we get back." My hazel eyes searched his.

He sighed, "No, Revan. I can't ask you to do that." He stood up in front of me, "After all you went through to stay true to the light…if it hadn't been for them…"

"It wasn't their beliefs that kept me from falling again." I stood, "It was you. When Bastilla tempted me to join her, it wasn't the damn Jedi code that went through my mind; it was your face, your voice." I stood up and brushed those two stubborn strands of hair off his temple. "If they were to split us up, I…I just don't know…if…what…"

He pulled me close, I laid my head against his chest listening to his steady heartbeat, "I just don't want you to make a decision you could regret." He spoke softly.

"That would only be if I decided to leave you. I would regret that for a lifetime. Besides, now that I can remember my days as a Jedi from before the Mandalorian Wars, I don't think I'll miss that life too much."

"So does this mean I have to put up with you constantly now?" he smirked.

"You better believe it, Onasi!" I wrapped my arms around his neck.

He pulled me tightly to him and kissed me. Softly, he coaxed my lips apart. I felt as though my knees were going to give way. His strong arms held my body against his.

I heard voices coming down the hallway.

"Are you sure you already checked in here?"

"Absolutely Kimno! Let's go check the bridge." Kahelle's voice echoed loudly from only a short ways away.

"No…no…that kid said they were…in…here…" Kimno's footsteps stopped at the doorway. I broke the kiss and turned to face him just as Kahelle came around the corner.

_Sorry!_

"Sorry, was I…um…I mean…did I….uh….was I interrupting something?" He backed towards the door.

"It's alright," I looked from Kahelle to Kimno, "What's going on?" I smiled back at my sister.

Kimno cleared his throat, "Actually, after some thought, I decided it might be a better idea to go back to my house before we split up. We've already talked to the kid, that…uh…big…furry…..thing, Bastilla and the old man. We're planning to leave in about 15 minutes. There's a back way in so no one will see our little motley crew here." He still looked uncomfortable.

I squeezed Carth's hand, "We'll go get Juhani and meet you then."

Kimno nodded sharply and hurriedly stepped out of the room.

Kahelle was grinning ear-to-ear, "So decide to follow sis's advice for once?"

"We better get going…" I smiled back at her.

_I'll tell you later okay?_

She winked at me, _I expect every single detail._

_Maybe…_

_Spoilsport! _she turned and left.

I turned back and gave Carth a quick kiss. "Well, let's go."

"What ever you say, beautiful."

I smiled, "I'll have to keep that in mind."

He crossed his arms, "Which one the 'whatever you say' or the 'beautiful' part?"

I winked at him before stepping out the door, "Maybe both…."

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Kahelle:

"Why didn't you just tell me?!? 'Oh by the way, Revan's in there with Carth playing a round of tonsil hockey'!" Kimno hissed at me as soon as we were down the hall from the cargo hold.

"What?" I stopped walking and looked at him, "and miss seeing you stammer and stutter like an idiot?" I tried hard to keep from laughing as he stopped walking to glare at me.

"You know, you really can be quite the bitch sometimes." He shook his head and continued walking.

I shrugged, "Hey, I try."

We continued until we reached a room with an odd-looking speedboat type vehicle. A droid stood in the corner with a blaster held menacingly in his hands. The large man I had briefly met earlier stood next to the vehicle.

"Canderous, right?" I walked over, hand extended.

He didn't return the gesture but looked down at me, waiting for me to continue.

I let my hand drop to my side, "We're leaving soon. Be in the meeting room in 15 minutes." I turned on my heel and walked out.

"Not much for chit-chat is he?" Kimno spoke up as soon as we were out of earshot of Canderous.

I shrugged, "I guess not but I guess most Mandalorians are like that. They seem like a 'less talk, more action' race." I saw a question begin to form on his lips; I spoke up quickly, "Hey! When you have absolutely NO social life for five years you tend to do a lot of reading. One of the data pads I saved from the crash was 'Peoples of the Outer Rim'."

His eyes flashed, "I though I told you to quit getting into my head," he snapped.

I held up my hands, "I didn't!! I swear I haven't even tried for about ten years!!"

"Good." He looked almost…relieved.

_I wish he'd just let me read him….just for a moment. Let me see what goes on in that head of his._

I shook my head and followed him down the metal corridor.

We took a quick detour by the other crew quarters. Kimno reached underneath one of the bunks and pulled out my old, beat-up satchel.

He tossed it to me.

The books and data pads it carried clattered together as I caught it. Some how that bag had survived a crash-landing as well as years of abuse. Until now, it had been the last thing I had to remember either my family or my years at the Academy.

I remember the day I first received that bag. My parents gave both Revan and I gifts the day we were chosen to become part of the Order. However, that wasn't why it continued to be important to me. It reminded me of the day I nearly died, when Revan came into the medical wing of the Enclave, tears streaming down her face and that dusty brown satchel clutched in her hands.

The last time I'd seen Revan; she'd given me that bag as I boarded the ship to leave. I had held on to that image for years now, Revan running to meet me at the ship, long brown braid flying out behind her, hazel eyes brimmed with tears. As she handed the satchel to me, she had whispered, "Don't forget me…"

Kimno's voice shook me out of my memories, "So do you plan on becoming a Jedi again when you go home?"

"Well, technically I wasn't a Jedi when I left. Just an apprentice, a student. To be totally honest, I don't think I want to become part of the Order again." I chuckled, "Kind of funny, I was so excited to become a Jedi as a kid. You know, I was only a week away from taking the test to become a Padawan." _Yep, me, Revan and our friends Valadia and Malak would have all become Jedi within a week of each other. Our friends, Valadia, the soft-spoken, wise Zabrak and Malak, the shy, yet extremely intense boy, it's still so hard to believe they are both gone. Both dead by Revan's hand._

"So what made you change your mind? Something you saw in Revan's memories?" Kimno's voice was soft, quiet.

"Yeah, something like that. However, it'll all be addressed when we're back in Republic space.

The intensity of the look he gave me almost made me cringe, "Just please don't do anything stupid Kahelle."

"Don't worry. What I'm planning…well…the only reason it hasn't be done is because…ah…forget it…They're waiting on us, let's go."

Indeed, everyone was ready and waiting for us in the meeting room. I locked eyes with Revan, she looked…at peace…probably for the first time in years.

"Alright, this is everybody then?" Kimno quickly scanned the room, "Okay, let's get going."


	10. Sidetrack 2

A/N Yep, that's right.  Another sidetrack chapter.  Don't worry; I'll have a regular chapter up soon.  Thanks to all repeat reviews and to my new reviews.  Thanks to Darth Insidious and Prisoner24601 for the tips.  I'm still working on my little problems.  This one's not quite as long as the other.  Well, here is the next sidetrack, enjoy.

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Blaster bolts flew by her head as the young Jedi made her way towards the bridge of the large Sith battleship.

She fought her way through until she stood behind a small figure draped in black hooded robes.

"So, come to kill me or redeem me?" the figure slowly turned, arms crossed.

The Jedi stood her ground, lightsaber drawn.

"Please, I beg you.  Listen to me.  Not as a fellow Jedi but," she extinguished her lightsaber, "as someone you once called friend.  This will destroy you.  Even you can see that."

"So what would you have me do?  Run back to the Council like a coward?  Beg for forgiveness?" the dark woman clenched and unclenched her black, gloved fists. "You know they won't be able to take me back with open arms.  Look at what I have created," she turned to the window and gestured with her arms towards the fleet that was attacking, "There's no turning back now.  No forgiveness available…"

"Kahelle would have forgiven you…" the Jedi turned away sadly.

"But she's not here, now is she.  She's dead.  She can't appeal on my behalf.  No one in the Order will now."

"No one need to.  Kahelle is a part of you now.  As soon as she died, you became one.  I know that Ka…" the Zabrak was cut short as a red lightsaber flew in a deadly arch across her abdomen and chest.

The young Jedi's eyes never left the dark woman's mask as she slowly slumped to the ground.

The robbed figure leaned down until her face was even with the young Zabrak lying on the floor.

"Tell my dear sister, that Darth Revan sent you to keep her company, dear Valadia."

Revan stood as Valadia's final breath escaped her body.  Unfazed, the Dark Lord turned to one of the uniformed officers standing, waiting to give report.

"Give the damage report to Malak…and clean this," she softly kicked the dead woman, "off my bridge."


	11. Amanda

A/N Hey guys!  Sorry it's taken me so long, yet again, to post.  I have 2 chappies for you this time around so hopefully it'll atone for my recent absence.  Been kind of lacking in reviews lately, so I will again say that I LOVE REVIEWS!  BTW, I'd like to proudly announce that my co-writer, Kimno-Lavin04 has posted the first chapter of his story "The Beginning of It All".  Stop by, read it and review if you get a chance. Well, without any more rambling on my part.  Here are the next chapters.

Disclaimer:  If you have sensitivity to murder, suicide or the implications thereof, you may want to skip some of this chapter.

Chapter 9

Kahelle:

So far, everything was going without a hitch.  How we managed to avoid being seen, with a cat-woman, a giant walking carpet and a blue alien girl, I don't think I'll ever know.

The afternoon sun threw lazy shadows across the alleyway as we rounded the final turn before Kimno's house.

Suddenly, Kimno's arm flew out, stopping me.  I bit back the swear words that threatened to tumble out of my mouth as my eyes followed his to a lone figure that stood gazing at the house.

Even with her back to me, I could easily tell who it was.

_Rev, get back around the corner._

_Why? What's going on Kahelle? _

Kimno had already begun herding the others back.

_I have a feeling things are about to get ugly fast._  Kimno and I ducked back around the corner with the others.

"Do you think Gavin sent her here to spy on us?" he whispered.

"No, it's gotta be something else…I don't think…"

"What is going on?  Who is that woman?" Bastilla interrupted in a hushed whisper.

I sighed, "You've heard us talk about Amanda?  Well, that's her." 

"Wait, you mean she's alive?"  Carth asked.

"Well, physically yes, Carth.  However, the girl we knew then is dead.  She works for Gavin now, by her own choice." I could feel the sadness in Kimno's voice as he admitted the last statement.

I glanced back around the corner, calculating what to do next.  Amanda turned slightly just as I moved.  The sunlight glinted off a crystal around her neck.  A crystal I recognized.

I felt the color drain from my face as I came back around the corner.

"Kahelle?  What's wrong?  You alright?"  Revan's dark eyes were shrouded in concern. 

"I'm okay.  Kimno, look at her neck.  Tell me what you see." 

He looked at me questioningly but did as I asked.  When he turned back around, his face was almost the same shade of white.

"Is it...?"

"Yep, the exact same one.  But how...?"  I searched Kimno's eyes though I knew he didn't know either.

"We need to get her inside before she can get back to him.  We need to get it off of her.  Maybe then the old Amanda will come back."  He glanced quickly around the corner and back to me.

"I'll take care of that, you just get me a distraction."  I closed my eyes and began the incantation.

"Can do, Hell-cat."

 I opened my eyes to strange stares from the others.  Smiling, I stood and stepped backwards into a shadow, feeling it envelop me.

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Revan:

Kahelle melted into the shadow.  Leaving all of us but Kimno behind trying to sort out what just happened.

That's when I noticed Kimno sneaking quickly around the corner.

"Where's he off to?" Carth asked as I slowly peered around the corner.  Kimno was crouched behind a dumpster.

"Creating a distraction, I assume."  I whispered.

_Wait, but if she doesn't see Kahelle won't she be suspicious?  She might escape too quickly for them to catch her._

An idea came to mind.  I glanced around the corner to see if Kimno was still in the same spot. 

"Stay here." I whispered to everyone as I began to move around the corner.  Carth's hand on my arm stopped me.

"Be careful."

I leaned over and kissed him softly before continuing around the corner.  I stifled the laugh that rose in my throat as I heard Mission softly exclaim, "Sheesh, why don't you two just get a room already!"

I was grateful that the bond between Bastilla and I was temporarily blocked while we were here.  I'm almost certain she would have been screaming at me through it.  Ever since the Star Forge, she became much stricter about the Code then ever.  She must have been having an absolute conniption fit by now.

I slid in beside Kimno.  "So what's the plan?"

He jumped slightly, "Is it some Tetra family secret that makes it so damn easy for ya'll to sneak up on me?  Geez!"

"Sorry, just coming over to help."

"I know, anyways, look around the corner.  See the shadow from the shed in the backyard of that house?" 

I looked over there and saw what he was talking about.  Amanda stood right in the middle of it.

"We've got to get her to come forward out of the shadow and keep her distracted long enough for Kahelle to get here."

"Where did she go?"  I felt somewhat silly asking.

"Don't worry.  She's much closer than you realize."  He grinned; first time I'd seen him truly smile. "Just follow my lead.  Hopefully, she'll mistake you for Kahelle.  That is what you were going for right?" he looked at me incredulously.

I nodded, "Ready when you are."

"Alright, let's hope this works." He stepped into the alleyway and I followed.  "Hey!" he yelled at her.  She whirled around to face us. 

 Amanda reminded me of one of the other scouts who had been on the Endar Spire with me.  She had jet-black hair that was cut just below her ears.  She was a slender girl but you could tell that she wasn't someone you wanted to tangle with.  Her eyes were dark as the purest night.  She was dressed simply and surprisingly not armed.  I saw the crystal Kahelle must have been talking about hanging around Amanda's neck.  It was pulsating from a clear color to black.  She sneered at Kimno.

"Hey yourself, lover!" she took a step forward, remaining inside of the shadow.

"I told you to quit calling me that years ago, Mandy."  Kimno clenched his fists.

Amanda shot her lip out in a mock pout, "What's the matter, K?  Bad memories?  Oh, that's right; I'm the one that helped make them."  That's when she noticed me. "Kahelle!  Well, must say I'm surprised you're still around.  Then again, you always were his favorite little 'project'.  There wasn't a single damn night that I didn't hear, 'I wonder if Kahelle would want to learn about this.' Or, 'I hope Kahelle was able to find someplace to stay," oh, no, no, no, my favorite one, "There's supposed to be a big storm tonight let's let her stay here.' God it was like I had to share my bed with my fiancé and a street brat."  She began to walk towards me, leaving the shadow.

A hand with a dagger materialized from the shadow and came around her neck, stopping her as it hovered dangerously close.  From the hand, materialized Kahelle out of the shadow.

"Hey there, Mandy.  Remember how I used to talk incessantly about my family.  Well, I'd like you to meet my sister, Revan."

"Great! So are there any more carbon copies of you out there that you'd like to bring out.  I'm sure Gavin will enjoy this story." Amanda hissed.

"Why are you here Mandy?  Gavin using you for recon missions now?" Kahelle tightened her grip on the blade.

"Just a little social call. That's all.  Just wanted to see my house once more."

Kimno finally spoke up, "It quit being open to you when you chose him over your calling."

"Oh, but I think I like this choice much better.  Don't you agree, Kahelle?"  Amanda's words caused Kahelle's grip to go lax on the dagger though she still held it against the other woman's throat.

"That's behind me now.  I gave it up and I'm not looking back." Kahelle's voice was a little shaky as she spoke.

"HA! However, you didn't kill for the joy of it.  You never were a true follower."  Amanda caught Kahelle off-centered and threw her aside.  Kahelle let out a cry of pain as she landed hard on her side.  Amanda looked up at Kimno and then turned to run.  Kahelle's yelp brought the rest of the group around the corner.

Kahelle groaned as she got up, "I'm not finished talking with you yet, bitch."

Before either Kimno or I could yell for her to wait, Kahelle was off after Amanda.  I looked to Kimno before breaking into a dead run after Kahelle's retreating figure.

"Revan! Wait!"  I glanced back long enough to see both Carth and Kimno coming after me.

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Kahelle:

Amanda raced down the alleyway until it opened onto the street.   I tried to keep up but she kept moving farther and farther away from me.  She ran down the street shoving people out of her way and attempting to throw obstacles in my path. Shortly, we came to an intersection.  Across the street, there was an office building, maybe 5 stories high directly in front of us.  Amanda glanced at me as though daring me to follow and ducked inside the back entrance.  Without hesitation, I went into the building just in time to see her begin to dash up the stairway.

I was hard pressed to keep up with her, even in the stairwell. 

_Shit!  When did that woman learn to climb steps like this?_

I was taking the stairs 3 at a time now trying to catch up before she could hide.  Even though she was much faster than I was, I had managed to keep her in my sights until she ran out the door that led to the roof.  I gathered up what extra energy was left and quickly made my way onto the roof.

Amanda looked like a caged animal.  The look in her eyes was almost feral.  My legs were screaming for me to lie down or at least sit but I refused to show any sign of backing down.

"So Kahelle, it's going to come down to this is it?  Fine, I'm not gonna let myself be taken by you of all people."  She lunged at me, tackling me down as I heard the door that we had just come through slam open once again.  Both she and I looked to see Revan come through it with Kimno and Carth right on her heels.  I used the moment to my advantage and pressed my worn legs against her stomach using whatever strength they still had to throw her off me.  As she began to fly backwards, my hand grasped the crystal, snapping the thin chain it had been hung on.

Amanda stumbled back to her feet.  Her hands flew to her neck, as she noticed that the crystal was gone, her eyes widened.

"So, when did you decide to leave him, Mandy?  A year ago?  Two?"  I examined the crystal in my hand feeling its smooth texture.  Remembering the warmth it had held against my own throat the year before Amanda came to "rescue" me. 

"I don't know what you're talking about." The crystal pulsated black with every word.

"He's controlling you.  Just like a puppet.  How did he get you to wear this, huh?  Give it to you as a gift?"

She began laughing, "Kahelle, dear, dear Kahelle.  You just refuse to believe that I would willingly follow Gavin don't you?"

I glared at her, "I just know that he did the same thing to me in order to keep me 'loyal'.  Well, guess what," I held the crystal up, "This ends here."

Amanda gasped and stepped back as I smashed the crystal on the ground.  I watched the spell fall off her like a dark silvery mist.

"Mandy?"  I tentatively stepped forward.  She shook her head and looked me in the eye.  She was scared, terrified, but she was Amanda again.

"Kahelle?  Oh my God.  Where's Kimno?"  She had the look of a frightened bird trapped in her eyes.

"I'm right here."  Kimno stepped towards her as she ran to throw her arms around his neck.

"Oh thank God.  I was so afraid that all those horrible things had really happened…I …thought…" she looked from Kimno to Revan to Carth and then back to me.

"It's true isn't it…. those things happened?  Momma, Daddy…. all of them?  What about Michael and Slate?  Christian?  Kahelle, did I really do those things?"  Tears were filling her eyes with each name mentioned.  I looked down.  I couldn't tell her. She began sobbing, "I did!!  Oh dear God, I did.  I murdered them all…oh God…I remember it now…" she was shaking as she sank to her knees, "The night after I planned to leave Gavin, he gave me that crystal.  I went home and it was as if a different person had a hold of my body.  I went to Momma first…she was asleep…. didn't notice me there…Daddy however was in the bathroom shaving…he begged me…" she paused as the sobs racked her small body, "he begged me not to hurt Jamie…to let her go…oh God…I left him there, barely alive and went to her room…. she was playing and singing that silly little song she made up…. I picked her up, she kissed me on the cheek…I took her in where they were and I…I…What have I done?!?  She was only 5!!!" Amanda hunched over and began sobbing even harder.  Kimno looked down. ,"I burned the house down to cover the tracks…. there were too many factors that could lead to Gavin or I.  I killed my family in cold blood and then didn't stop there."  Suddenly, she stood up, "Someone has to pay.  I always learned growing up that someone had to pay every time a bad deed was done…"

"And someone will pay…. but that someone right now isn't you, Mandy.  You were being controlled, manipulated." I tried to make her understand, tried to pull her thoughts away from the dark ideas that were forming.

"No…. No…. it was my hand that killed them…. I made the initial choice to go to him…. he had promised me power…. more than my 'calling' had given me.  It was a trick and I fell for it."  She stepped backwards until her feet hit the ledge, "This is my price to pay," she took a step up on the ledge. 

I started forward to stop her.

"Sorry, Kahelle." She paused, "Remember, all things come from the darkness, passage requires blood spilt as payment."  She said the last sentence quickly and leaned backwards allowing herself to fall off the ledge.

I sprinted to cross the short distance between her and I.  My fingers barely brushed the bottom of her shoe as I grasped for her.

"Mandy!!" the scream came out horse.

 I quickly turned away as I heard her impact the concrete.

The weariness in my legs added with the mournful heaviness now in my heart was too much for my body to bear; I knelt down with my forehead against the warm concrete.  Down below, I could hear the murmurs of people coming to investigate what poor soul had ended their life there.

I heard a woman's scream and another calling for someone to call for help.

Kimno gently laid a hand on my shoulder, "It's not your fault, Kahelle."

I forced myself to my feet as the wail of sirens filled the air.

"The cops are going to be swarming this place soon.  Personally, I don't want to stay around to play 20 questions with them.  The sooner we leave the better."

I shrugged Kimno's hand off and made a beeline for the door.

Revan reached for me as I breezed past her.

_Kahelle? _

I closed off our link and opened the door.

"Kahelle!"  I turned slightly at her voice.

"Sorry, Rev." _I can't let you in right now.  I need solitude.  _Her hurt expression dissipated.  I could feel the sting of tears in my eyes.  Abruptly, I turned and continued down the stairs.

The others followed me quietly, still absorbing everything that had just happened.  Revan's mind seemed to settle on a memory of a man named Jagi who she had seen shoot himself in the desert.  Maybe she understood my situation better than I knew.  I just couldn't open up yet…not yet.

As we exited the building, the authorities were beginning to fight their way through the throng of people who had gathered since we left the roof.

"I still don't understand people's macabre obsession with seeing death." Kimno shook his head.

"Me, neither.  Come on, the others are waiting."  I averted my eyes from the scene as we snuck past the crowd into the awaiting alley.

When I walked up to the others, questions started flying.

"What happened back there?" "Why did it take you so long to come back?" "Where's Amanda" I couldn't even discern everyone's voices.

"One at a time guys."  Kimno's voice rang out from behind me.

The awkward silence that filled the air was broken by Jolee's voice, "What's going on, kid?  You all look terrible."

"Let's just say Amanda's no longer a problem and leave it at that."  I shuddered at the casualty of Kimno's words.

_No longer a problem!!!_ My mind screamed _She just died and all you can say is she's no longer a problem! _I took a deep breath, _There's no need for them to know the gritty details right now.  Not until later at least._

"Kimno, let's get to the house." My voice sounded as tired as my body was beginning to feel.

He looked me up and down, as though assessing how closely my body resembled my voice before speaking, "Alright, I'll get the gate."

I held back a little behind the group as we continued to Kimno's house.

As we rounded the corner, I could see a little bit of surprise come across the others' faces as we came up on the 2-story house. 

Kimno easily climbed over the fence and opened the gate.  After everyone had headed inside, I grabbed Kimno.

"I can't go another step.  I'm going to rest.  You can play tour guide, alright?"  I winked, "I know you love showing off this house anyways."

"But you're so much better than I am at that," he pretended to pout.

"Don't give me that.  Besides, you leave your face like that too long it'll stick.  Go on.  I'll be alright."

He gave me a skeptical look before ushering everyone into the house.

I slowly made my way to the small garden that we had kept going in the backyard.  Nothing impressive, a few flowers and vegetable plants along the fence but enough to give the backyard a peaceful, tranquil feel.  When I had first come here, this used to be where I would try to meditate.  After a few months, I gave up on meditation and this became my hide-away.  Of all the places I was glad to be for a while, it was here.

I eased down and lay down in the grass feeling it tickle my arms.  Slowly, I stretched my legs out, letting every screaming muscle relax.  I closed my eyes and began to drift off into my own thoughts and memories.

_"Hey.  It's about time you got up, Hell-cat."_

_I nearly shot up out of the bed as I heard his voice.  It had been nearly 5-years.  5-years that I had been battling what seemed to be all of Hell coming forth, 5-years since he had left.  What was he doing here now?_

_"It's alright, Kahelle.  Take it easy, they roughed you up pretty bad." Upon looking around, I realized that I was in my room in his house again.  _

_"Where did you come from?  I thought you'd given up on me." I sat up and pulled my knees up to my chest._

_He sighed, "I'm sorry about that Kahelle.  I shouldn't have left you like that.  I was angry but it's my job to take care of these things, not yours.  You could have been killed out there."_

_I avoided telling him that I had been purposefully seeking the monsters out, not to take up the slack that he had left behind but hoping to die…to somehow pay for the problems I had caused._ _"Don't worry about it, K. I'm still alive."_

_"Yeah, no thanks to me." He held up a hand to shush me, "But that's all behind now, right?  Let's move on.  Start over…as a team…I swear I won't ever leave you again.  Do you forgive me?"_

_You weren't the one who needed forgiveness.  My thoughts screamed through me even as I nodded my head._

_"Good.  Now, I won't make you stay in bed…. I remember how stubborn you are…some of your old clothes are in that dresser if you want to change."  He got up but paused at the door, "It's good to see you again, Kahelle." He smiled as he closed the door._

When I opened my eyes, the sun had sunk a little lower in the sky and my body felt a little more rested.  Remembering the day Kimno had come back, how he had forgiven me after all that I had done, made me feel a little better emotionally though I still felt like I could have saved Amanda.  The thought that I had failed my friend infuriated me.  I stood up, stretched, and headed inside.  I needed to get rid of some of my frustration over what happened on that rooftop.


	12. Learning to Deal

Chapter 10

Revan:

Kimno lead us from room to room. The house was beautiful, though it did seem odd that he owned such a place even though he apparently didn't have a way to pay for it.

He brought us in through the kitchen. It was fairly modest for the size of the house. The plain brown-speckled walls matched the rustic flooring tiles perfectly. Other than a few photos on one of the appliances there didn't seem to be many decorative things here. The dining room was a little larger and a little more decorated than the kitchen. The doorway was marked at many different levels with a pencil, each dated and with Kimno's name beside them. _Okay, so that's how he can live here. It's his parent's house…but where are they? _There was a large dining table in the center of the room. It was slightly warped and had the injuries of everyday use imbedded into its surface. Kimno ushered us into the next room.

The beige carpet of the dining room seemed to melt into the luscious brick red carpet of the large living room. The walls were trimmed with a similar color from about waist height until it touched the floor, above that was a soft rose color. Three dark red sofas were centered around a good-sized fireplace. On its mantle were several pictures of a much younger Kimno as well as a few pictures of his family. He explained a few of them,"This was taken here…" or "This happened when I was…"

Mission yawned, _She must be bored stiff with this…_ I glanced over to see much of the crew with the same look of boredom on their visages. Even Bastilla was having a hard time trying to feign true interest.

Kimno opened the door to one of the rooms that branched off of the living room. Inside there appeared to be dozens of bookcases. He began to explain, "This is the library. These books hold just about every known demon or other monster known to Earth. There's even a few books on rituals around here but we don't normally use them…hey! What are you doing?" I looked over to see Mission pulling on books trying to get them to trigger something.

"Come on, don't you have any cool hidden rooms or secret passages or something!! This is just too boring…" She stopped and looked at Kimno, arms crossed.

I laughed, "Mission, you've been watching too many mystery holovids."

"I have to agree with the Twi'lek for once. This is a pretty tame home for a warrior." Canderous chimed in.

Kimno replaced one of the books that had fallen to the floor, "Okay," he looked up at us, "You want to see where the fun really takes place? Follow me."

He led us back out into the living room and across to another door. As he opened the door, we could hear loud music pounding upwards from the room below. Kimno slowly stepped down the stairs, as though he was just as amazed as we were at the signs that someone was down there. From our spot on the stairs, we could see several places where there were weapons, everything from daggers to firearms, hung on the walls. Kimno peered around the wall that separated us from the main room; he smiled and turned back to us. "Okay Canderous, you want to see a true warrior?" He waved for us to follow him. As we stepped forward, I saw that the floor was covered with training mats. Several practice mannequins were scattered across the room, waiting. In the middle, apparently in a meditative stance was Kahelle. She stood, still not noticing us, or maybe she was choosing to ignore us, I couldn't really tell. The words started as she picked up her sai that she had laid in front of her.

_Gentlemen, our faith is wounded_

_And yes, we are wounded too._

_They've come out from the swamp,_

_But we, we stand on both legs._

With a blaze of speed she began to attack the mannequins one by one. Even with the absence of the Force, I could feel the rage and hatred that flowed through her as she pummeled down on the lifeless dummies. She fought like a creature from the depths of hell. Kimno grinned as she threw a high kick at the final dummy that was left standing, decapitating it. We stood against the wall watching, in shock…amazement…respect. Kimno began slowly clapping; Kahelle whirled around to face him.

"Nice move, Hell-Cat." He grabbed a short sword off of the wall and tossed it at her. It slid to a stop in front of her feet. "How about a real opponent?"

The music had stopped. Kahelle tossed her sai, impaling them in the headless mannequin's torso. As she knelt down to pick up the sword, Kimno leapt at her. She fell backwards, blocking the attack with the sword as she fell. Kahelle quickly deflected Kimno's sword to the side and rolled to her feet. He quickly recovered and began advancing on her. The clashing of their swords grew louder and quicker the longer the fight would go on. He would parry, she would block, she would flurry, and he'd duck out of the way, almost as though they knew what the other was going to do. Kahelle was tiring, quickly it seemed. She must not have quite gotten over her chase after Amanda. She made a jab at Kimno; he stepped aside and brought the hilt of his sword down hard on her hand. She cried out and dropped her sword. He took the advantage and swiftly kicked her in the stomach, knocking her down. As she propped herself up on her elbows, he stepped forward until he was standing straddling over her and placed the blade of the sword against her neck.

"You fall for that every time…" he used the blade to lift her chin.

A mischievous smirk ran across her face, "Maybe so, but I think you do it just so you can see me like this, helpless and lying underneath you."

Canderous laughed as Kimno's face began to flush. He looked over at us, giving Kahelle the split second she needed. With a quick swat to the sword, she had moved it away from her throat. She quickly kicked Kimno in the back, sending him flying over her head. He hit the pads with a thud as she stood, brushing herself off.

"Checkmate…looks like you lose this time…" she turned to face him, grinning.

Kimno groaned, "Yeah…just this once though, I'll kick your ass next time."

"Promises, promises. Anyways, I'm going to get a shower. See you in a few." She replaced the sword on the wall and began to walk by us.

"So, do you feel better now?" Kimno stood and brushed himself off.

"Not really, but I'll deal." Kahelle shot back over her shoulder as she continued up the stairs.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kahelle:

I tilted my head back, letting the hot water flow over my body, taking the dirt and sweat with it.

My hip was still a little tender from when Amanda had knocked me to the ground. _Yep, that'll be a lovely bruise by morning._

I wasn't lying when I told Kimno I wasn't feeling better. There was still no doubt in my mind that I could have found a way to save Amanda. Maybe I could have moved a little faster, forced my way into her mind sooner, something, _anything_!

Nevertheless, I didn't, and now she was gone. I watched the water fall from my fingertips, the little droplets exploding as they hit the tiles.

I shuddered as I remembered how Amanda's face had been set when she realized what she had done over these years. It had been the old Amanda who had spoken to us then, innocent, bewildered, only moments before she decided to take her own life. She was remorseful. In the end, she had redeemed herself for the past, but still. Her blood wasn't the required payment for all the horrible things that had happened. _His_ was. Gavin was in control of it all from the beginning.

I slid down until I was sitting, knees pulled up to my chest, allowing the water to pelt the top of my head.

I couldn't forgive myself for what had happened. If I had never gone to him in the first place, she wouldn't have been sucked into that world.

_No, Kahelle. He wanted her from the beginning, you know that. In the end, you were only a side step for him. A fun little "distraction." _I stared at the rivulets of water that were streaming down towards the drain. _He wanted her for her powers. After all, what's a better asset then having a Huntress as your right hand? _

My thoughts fell on how many times he had said he loved me as I stood to turn off the water.

_I swear Gavin. No matter how this little scenario plays out, I WILL be the one to kill you._


End file.
